LAUNCESTON identity Patricia Ratcliff died yesterday, two weeks after celebrating her 82nd birthday.
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Mrs Ratcliff was an author, historian, environmentalist and conservationist.
Born in Dandenong, Victoria, she moved to two other states before calling Tasmania home.
Mrs Ratcliff married Launceston psychiatrist Eric Ratcliff in 1964, with whom she had six children.
In the 1990s, the couple was renowned for their daily morning swim in the chilled waters of the South Esk at Launceston's First Basin, even during the cooler months.
With media experience particularly in radio, Mrs Ratcliff served on the Australian Press Council for nine years from 1987.
She was a founder of the Launceston Historical Society and was instrumental in the establishment of The Examiner John West Memorial Lecture, which attracts some of the country's most eminent speakers each year.
She was the author of The Story of Wybalenna in 1975 and The Usefulness Of John West in 2003.
